Forwarding of fast moving consumer goods for the European market
October 18, 2017
Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) are at the center of the attention of the European manufacturers and consumers because the tendency for the slow rising of their prices leads to the increase of the purchasing and consumption of these goods.
There are many producers of FMCG in the different European countries who make various food products which are being delivered to different destinations on the continent by the international freight services.
Favorable conditions for the delivery of fast moving consumer goods
Nearly one third of all European consumers prefer buying less expensive food products which leads to them being sold out quickly and requires more deliveries by the freight forwarders network. The number and types of inexpensive food products is increasing due to the lower fuel prices which help decrease the prices of the end products. The close cooperation between the member companies of the European logistics network also helps lower the prices of the FMCG because shorter routes can be used which lowers the freight forwarding prices further.
The European countries with the largest FMCG market growth
The countries with the greatest fast moving consumer good market growth in Europe are: Germany, France and Spain. But the demand for and consumption of such goods in the other European countries is growing as well due to the increase mobility and the fact that more Europeans are looking for food products from other European nations.
Refrigerated freight forwarding provided by the European network for logistics
The freight forwarders use refrigerated vehicles in order to ensure that the fast moving consumer goods with a short shelf life retain their qualities during the forwarding. These vehicles can maintain the temperature necessary during the transport. It is controlled by the experts who travel with the shipments.
Forwarding FMCG in accordance to the international requirements
The agreement in accordance to which the international freight forwarders network provides the fast moving consumer goods logistics services is the Agreement for international shipments of FMCG. There is a work group which meets once a year to review and modify the content of this agreement.
The requirements which need to be followed by the European network for logistics services include:
- The equipment for the forwarding service
- The temperature in the vehicles and the methods for measuring it
- Marking the equipment
- The installation of additional refrigerating systems when necessary
- Duties of the accompanying personnel
The instruments for temperature control during refrigerated forwarding services
The instruments for measuring the temperature in the vehicles used for groupage services which are specialized for forwarding fast moving consumer goods are called thermographs. They are installed either in the wagon itself or in the drivers’ cabin. They are powered by the car battery of the refrigerated truck or are fitted with separate batteries. The measured temperature is saved on a hard disk or is written on paper.
The temperature in the wagons which are equipped for the forwarding of fast moving consumer goods is up to -20°С but cannot fall below this value. The range of temperature which can be measured by the normal thermographs is from -30°С to +80°С.
Installing additional refrigerating systems
The European logistics companies install additional refrigerating systems for the forwarding of FMCG in case the goods transported are highly sensitive to temperature changes. These additional refrigerating systems provide an emergency refrigerating service in case the main refrigeration system of the truck goes faulty during the transport.
